For years I wrapped my potatoes in foil before baking them. Everyone did. My mom did it. Her mom did it. I assumed it was the only way. Then a friend who went to culinary school watched me prep potatoes for a dinner party and said, “You know that is steaming them, right?”

I did not know. And once she explained it, everything about my mediocre baked potatoes suddenly made sense.

Foil Traps Steam — That Is the Problem

Aluminum foil wrapped tightly around a potato creates a little steam chamber. The moisture from the potato has nowhere to go. The result is a soft, damp skin — the opposite of what you want from a good baked potato. You want a skin that crackles when you press it, that holds its shape, that tastes like something more than wet paper.

The fix is dead simple: do not wrap the potato in foil at all during baking. Just wash it, dry it thoroughly, poke a few holes with a fork, rub it with a little olive oil and coarse salt, and put it directly on the oven rack. No pan. No foil. Nothing between the potato and the heat.

The Olive Oil Step

Rubbing the skin with oil does two things. First, it helps the skin crisp up by conducting heat more evenly. Second, it gives the salt something to stick to. Use kosher salt or sea salt — the big flakes create little crunchy spots on the skin that make it taste almost like a potato chip.

Temperature and Timing

Set your oven to 425°F. At that temperature, a medium russet potato takes about 50 to 60 minutes. You know it is done when a fork slides into the center without resistance. If you are baking several potatoes, leave space between them so the hot air circulates.

What About the Foil Then?

There is one time foil makes sense: after the potato is done. If you are not serving right away, wrap the hot baked potato in foil to keep it warm. It will hold heat for about 20 minutes. But even then, the skin will soften slightly — so only do this if you have to.